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Investigators Blame Pilot's Phone Call For Fatal Houston Ship Channel Collision
US investigators found that a pilot's mobile phone call caused a bulk carrier to strike a towboat on the Houston Ship Channel, killing one deckhand.

Panama Canal Cuts Neopanamax Draft To 47.5 Feet As Gatun Lake Falls
The Panama Canal will cut the maximum draft allowed through the neopanamax locks to 47.5 feet in two stages from September as Gatun Lake levels keep falling.

Hapag-Lloyd Suspends Calls At Three Ukrainian Black Sea Ports
Hapag-Lloyd has suspended feeder services to Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi, withdrawing from all three of Ukraine's principal Black Sea container ports over security risks.

Iranian Bill To Bar US And Israeli Ships From Hormuz Lifts Oil Prices
Oil prices rose more than three dollars a barrel after reports that an Iranian parliament committee is reviewing a bill to bar American and Israeli vessels from the Strait of Hormuz.

Star Bulk Walks Away From 470 Million Dollar Genco Fleet Deal
Star Bulk has terminated its 470.5 million dollar agreement to buy sixteen bulk carriers, removing a central component from a long-running takeover attempt by another Greek owner.

MSC Fined Six Million Dollars Over Runaway Boxship At Charleston
The ship management arm of the world's largest container line has been fined six million dollars over a 2024 incident in which one of its vessels lost speed control approaching a bridge at Charleston.

Shipping Corporation Of India Tenders For Two LNG Dual-Fuel Boxships With Options
The Shipping Corporation of India has issued its largest newbuilding tender, seeking two LNG dual-fuel container ships of around 8,000 boxes with options for four more.

COSCO Car Carrier Abandoned Off Costa Rica After Engine Room Fire
All twenty-two crew were rescued from a COSCO car carrier that caught fire in the engine room some 630 miles south of Costa Rica, recovered by a passing bulk carrier.

Navigator Gas Secures Financing For Two Ammonia-Capable Carriers
A joint venture has secured a 121.8 million dollar loan for two ammonia-capable gas carriers being built in China, in one of the larger single financings so far for tonnage designed around the fuel.

UK Brings Shipping Into Its Emissions Trading Scheme With No Phase-In
The United Kingdom has brought shipping into its Emissions Trading Scheme with no phase-in, and OOCL has responded with a surcharge effective 1 September.

Denmark Awards Two Offshore Wind Sites After Rewriting Its Auction Terms
Denmark has awarded two offshore wind sites to Vattenfall after replacing a subsidy-free tender that drew no bids at all with a contract-for-difference model.

Hengli Says It Has Booked 253 Newbuildings In Seven Months
Chinese shipbuilder Hengli Heavy Industry says it has contracted 253 newbuildings in seven months and plans to add 100,000 industrial workers, doubling its headcount.

US Carrier Calls At Da Nang In First Vietnam Visit Since 2023
The carrier USS George Washington has arrived at Da Nang with more than 5,000 personnel, the first American carrier visit to Vietnam since 2023.

Russian Black Sea Crude Loadings Fall 62 Percent Under Drone Campaign
Crude loadings from Russian Black Sea and Sea of Azov ports have fallen to 0.98 million barrels a day from 2.59 million under a sustained Ukrainian maritime drone campaign, BIMCO says.

Kalmar And APM Terminals Partner On Next-Generation Terminal Automation
Kalmar and APM Terminals have formed a strategic partnership to jointly develop and deploy the next generation of Kalmar One terminal automation technology across existing and prospective terminals.

Zodiac Maritime lands record price in first capesize sale of the year
Zodiac Maritime has sold the capesize bulk carrier Cape Condor for around 39 million dollars, a figure brokers describe as a record for a vessel of her age and the London-based owner's first capesize disposal of the year.

Report urges US to create a publicly backed container shipping line
A new report from the Open Markets Institute argues the US should consider a publicly backed container shipping line to cut reliance on foreign carriers.

Maersk to gradually resume operations at Venezuela's La Guaira port
Maersk has begun a phased return to operations at the Venezuelan port of La Guaira, following an earthquake in June that disrupted normal port activity.

EU still absorbing bulk of Russian Arctic LNG despite phase-out push
Trade-flow data shows Europe took the overwhelming share of Russian Arctic liquefied natural gas in the first six months of the year, even as the bloc works towards ending those imports.

South Korea's big three shipbuilders pass $30bn in first-half orders
South Korea's three largest shipbuilders have booked more than $30bn in orders in the first half of the year, pointing to a shipbuilding super-cycle.

Ciner takes its ammonia carrier investment past $1bn
Turkish conglomerate Ciner has ordered three more very large ammonia carriers in South Korea, taking its investment in the segment past $1bn.

Noble lands $136m drillship contract offshore Brunei
Noble Corporation has won a drillship contract in Brunei worth around $136m, deploying the Noble Viking for a six-well programme from early 2028.

Saipem wins around $2bn FPSO contract off Indonesia
Saipem has won an EPCI contract worth around $2bn for an FPSO at Eni's Kutei North Hub development off East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Transocean lands seven-year, $1bn Equinor rig deal
Transocean has secured a drilling agreement with Equinor worth more than $1bn in contract backlog, covering three harsh-environment semisubmersible rigs on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The deal, which remains subjec…

Panama Canal tightens neopanamax draught limits again
ño over the watershed in the months ahead. It said lake levels and projections would be monitored, with more adjustments if needed. This is not yet a repeat of the severe 2023-24 drought restrictions that slashed bookin…

China's electric cargo ship fleet scales up fast
China is scaling battery-powered shipping faster than anywhere else, moving from pilots into commercial cargo operation, according to new International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) data. China had more than 44…

Bureau Veritas to sell oil and coal testing arm for €470m
Bureau Veritas is in exclusive talks to sell its oil, coal and petrochemicals testing business to Triton Partners for €470m as part of its LEAP 28 portfolio overhaul.

US targets Mexican cartel fuel smuggling
The US Treasury has sanctioned individuals and entities tied to a cartel-linked fuel smuggling network that uses shadow-fleet vessels and falsified customs documents to move illicit fuel between the US and Mexico.

UK carbon market extends to shipping from today
The UK has extended its emissions trading scheme to domestic shipping, bringing cargo and passenger vessels of 5,000 gt and above into the carbon market and adding to operators' compliance burden.

Maersk goes from red to black
A.P. Moller-Maersk has sharply upgraded its guidance, now expecting an underlying operating profit of $2bn to $4bn this year, the clearest sign yet that 2026 is shaping up as another profitable year for container shipping.

MSC pays $1.4bn for 49% stake in Adani's Vizhinjam port
MSC's terminal arm TiL is acquiring a 49% stake in Adani Ports' Vizhinjam transhipment terminal for $1.4bn, in what the partners call the largest foreign private investment in Indian port infrastructure.

Troubled shadow VLCC closes in on endgame
The 2002-built VLCC Era — formerly Marinera and Bella 1 — has reappeared under the Comoros flag with a demolition-linked manager, suggesting the much-renamed shadow-fleet tanker may be nearing its final voyage.

Volkswagen sells majority stake in Everllence to Bain Capital
Volkswagen has agreed to sell a 75% stake in engine maker Everllence (formerly MAN Energy Solutions) to Bain Capital in a deal valuing the business at EUR7.4bn ($8.4bn).

US Navy Declines To Raise Sunken Fishing Vessel Lily Jean
The United States Navy has declined a request to salvage a fishing vessel that sank off Gloucester in January and to recover the remains of six crew believed still aboard.

Four Competition Regulators Examine The Saipem And Subsea7 Merger
The proposed merger of Saipem and Subsea7 is being examined by four competition authorities across three continents, with the European Commission running an in-depth investigation.

Offshore Wind Lease Buybacks In The US Approach Four Billion Dollars
A German utility has agreed to relinquish American offshore wind leases for 1.22 billion dollars, bringing total spending on such buybacks to close to four billion.

Jan De Nul Cable Layer To Wire Four Two-Gigawatt Grid Connections
A newly built cable installation vessel will install export cables on four two-gigawatt offshore grid connections, laying more than 2,800 kilometres of cable along a 700-kilometre route.

Romania Sinks Barges In The Danube To Keep A Nuclear Reactor Running
Romania has been sinking four barges loaded with rock into the Danube to redirect water towards a nuclear power station whose second reactor is at risk of shutting down.

Iran And Oman Reach Preliminary Understanding On Hormuz Route
Iran and Oman have reached a preliminary understanding on the coordinates of a proposed shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran seeks a formal role in managing traffic.

Frontline Sells VLCC Pair For 270 Million Dollars
Frontline has agreed to sell two 2017-built very large crude carriers for 270 million dollars, and will return all net proceeds to shareholders through a one-off dividend.

Noble Wins 670-Day Jackup Contract For North Sea Abandonment Work
Noble Corporation has won a 670-day contract from ConocoPhillips for an ultra-harsh environment jackup, covering plug and abandonment work in the Greater Ekofisk Area.

Offshore Field Development Spending Forecast To Reach 137 Billion Dollars
Global offshore field development investment is forecast to reach 137 billion dollars this year, with project sanctioning close to double the level of the preceding period.

Dynacom's VLCC Order Book At Hengli Reaches Twenty Ships
George Procopiou's Dynacom Tankers has ordered four more very large crude carriers at Hengli Heavy Industry, taking the Greek owner's programme at the Chinese yard to twenty vessels.

United States Sends Seized Shadow Fleet Tankers For Demolition
The United States has begun sending ageing tankers seized in its sanctions enforcement campaign to demolition rather than allowing them back into circulation.

Chinese Operator To Launch First Scheduled Arctic Container Service
A Chinese operator is preparing to launch the first regular scheduled liner service through the Northern Sea Route, with a twenty-day passage from China to Felixstowe.

Trump Extends Jones Act Waiver For Another Ninety Days
President Trump has extended for a further ninety days the waiver allowing foreign-flagged ships to carry oil between American ports, making it the longest such suspension on record.

Tanker Master Jailed Ten Months For Refusing US Coast Guard Order
A tanker master has been sentenced to ten months in prison and deportation for failing to stop when ordered by the United States Coast Guard during the interdiction of an Iranian crude cargo.

Hanwha Bids Up To 1.2 Billion Dollars For Austal USA
South Korea's Hanwha has made a preliminary offer of up to 1.2 billion dollars for Austal USA, one of the more strategically significant naval yards in the United States.
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Vessel Hunter News is written with AI, working from maritime news reporting and the primary documents behind it, to fixed editorial rules. Every article passes an automated quality check before it is published, and Vessel Hunter is responsible for what it says. How our news is made. We correct what we get wrong. Mail contact@vesselhunter.io and tell us what to look at.
